To Run & Hyde
by Ultrawoman
Summary: Following the events of ‘Jackie Bags Hyde’, the couple realise they both made a huge mistake when they said they felt nothing after their kiss. Now Jackie wants to set the record straight, but is it too late for Hyde?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N : Three things you should know before reading this fic; (1) this is the first time in a couple of years that my fanfic has ventured outside the Buffyverse, (2) I have only seen the first four Seasons of That 70s Show, (3) I am very nervous about posting this story here as I seem to have lost all confidence in writing any characters other than thosefrom Buffy or Angel. I would really appreciate some feedback on this first chapter, so when you've read, please review. Thanx.**

**Title: To Run & Hyde**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Summary: Following the events of 'Jackie Bags Hyde', the couple realise they both made a huge mistake when they said they felt nothing after their kiss. Now Jackie wants to set the record straight, but is it too late for Hyde?**

_**Disclaimer : All recognisable characters from 'That 70's Show' do not belong to me in any way at all.**_

* * *

Chapter 1

"Hey man" Eric greeted his friends as he swung into the basement and took a seat on the couch, "Whatcha whatchin'?" he asked, looking towards the TV.

"Huh?" Hyde said, glancing at him, "Oh, hey Forman. When did you get here? I was just watchin' some TV"

"Yeah" Eric answered, frowning slightly.

Though it might've been understandable that Hyde were so distracted by the television he didn't realise his friend had come in to the basement, that would only make real sense if Charlie's Angels or some other show with hot girls was on TV. As it was, Hyde was either really engrossed by infomercials for cleaning products, or there was something on his mind.

"Okay, so what's up, Hyde?" he asked him, "Last I hear you're taking Jackie on a date" he recalled with a shudder of distaste, "and now you're sitting here staring at infomercials like they're the answer to the universe"

"I was not" Hyde rolled his eyes, "For your information, Forman, my so-called date with Jackie was the disaster I knew it would be, and now I'm just sitting here in a cheerleader-free zone, congratulating myself on a lucky escape" he said, not quite as forcefully as he'd meant to as he got up from his chair and headed to the back of the basement where has old bed resided. It technically wasn't his room back there anymore, since he moved out to live with his Dad, but for emergencies sake Mrs Forman had insisted there be a space in their house for Steven to come back to and he was grateful to her for that.

"For a guy who's congratulating himself, you look kinda bummed" Eric observed from the doorway, "What happened, exactly?"

"It was a first date, Forman" Hyde told him from his position laid out on the bed, hands behind his head, "I know it's a while since you went on one, but I'm pretty sure you should be able to remember how it goes down"

"Oh my God!" Eric gasped over-dramatically, "You made out with Jackie!" he exclaimed, pointing at his friend, "Man, I hope she didn't give you, like, shallow-bitch rabies or something!"

"Just can it, Forman!" Hyde yelled, his tone bordering on seriously pissed off by now, "I don't wanna talk about this, and I don't wanna hear what you have to say about it either!" he said, making his feelings very clear. He'd have stormed out the room if he had some place better to go, and if Eric wasn't standing in the doorway right now.

"Okay, I'm sorry" the other guy said awkwardly, not really understanding what was going on, only that Hyde was really not happy about something. Eric left quickly when his friend yelled for him to clear out of there, though in all honesty, he was worried about him. The pair had been friends since they were little kids, and Eric had watched as they'd grown up and so many girls had passed through Steven Hyde's life. Just because Jackie Burkhart had been added to that list today, Eric had no idea why it should make such a difference.

In his room, Hyde lay staring at the ceiling, thinking over the days events one more time. He'd been flattered but a little annoyed by Jackie's advances that morning, but then he'd just gotten so mad when that Chip guy called her a bitch, and talked about nailing her like she was just some random whore, like Laurie. Jackie was worth way more than that, though Hyde had no idea when he'd started to think so.

Tonight, he and Jackie had gone on their first and only date, which had ended with a kiss. When they pulled away and looked at each other after a brief moment, he hated to see what looked like disappointment in her eyes. All this time saying she loved him and always would, talking about how they should be together forever. In that moment, the fantasy was shattered, for the both of them.

"Did you feel anything?" she'd asked him, "Cos... I didn't feel anything"

He'd stumbled over his reply, torn between the truth and the much simpler lie. For a few moments he'd been prepared to tell her he did in fact like her, that she hadn't been completely wrong, and that maybe they could have something, a relationship of some kind, but in that very same moment it seemed she had the opposite change of heart. She felt nothing for him, nothing real, just like everybody else who ever pretended to care. He screwed his eyes tight shut, wished the world away. He was Steven Hyde, the outcast, the rebel, wouldn't allow himself to be hurt or stepped on. She didn't want him? Fine, he didn't want her either, certainly didn't need her, didn't need anybody in this stupid town!

It didn't take long before Hyde was so mad about the whole situation he'd decided to do what the rest if his family always did when things got tough - he ran.

* * *

Jackie was confused, and she didn't like the feeling very much. Life was simple when she was dating Michael, okay so he cheated on her a lot, but at least she knew how to handle that. Now there was Steven, although you could hardly say he and Jackie were together since tonight had been their first, last, and only date together. Still, she found he wasn't half so simple to figure out as Michael, and whilst that seemed to be one of things about him that attracted her the most, it was frustrating as hell for Jackie not being able to make sense of what she or the man she confessed to love was thinking or feeling.

"Why did I lie!" Jackie asked herself frustratedly as she paced up and down her bedroom, a stuffed unicorn clutched to her chest, "Why was I suddenly so scared!"

"Who are you talking to?" a voice asked from the doorway, making her friend jump.

"Donna!" Jackie gasped, "Oh my God, I so need your help!" she said as she ran over, dragging the red-head into her room and shutting the door behind her.

"Geez, Jackie, I kinda hoped you'd be a little less crazy now Hyde paid attention to you" Donna shook her head as she sat down on the end of the bed and watched her friend continue to pace the floor, unicorn still firmly in hand.

"Oh, he paid attention to me" Jackie smiled dreamily, "all afternoon, and it was beautiful, Donna, I mean we didn't talk all that much but it was just... nice, y'know?"

"A nice time with Hyde?" her friend considered, "Yeah, I believe that, but without talking or making out? That's just a weird date for anybody"

"Well, there may have been kissing" Jackie admitted, looking almost shy about it, "Or, more specifically, one kiss"

"Okay, like a _real_ kiss?" Donna checked, overly aware of how her friend had been throwing herself at Hyde these past few weeks. There was no way to know if Jackie was exaggerating or fantasising or what.

"Yes, a real kiss" she insisted, "Donna, we are talking about the hottest, most incredibly amazing kiss of my entire life" she said, looking entirely serious as she stood before her friend and explained it.

"Wow" the red-head looked impressed, "I don't remember him being that good a kisser..." she trailed off as Jackie's eyes went wide, "but that was a long, long time ago, and we don't need to talk about that" she muttered.

"Donna, focus!" Jackie demanded, "I am having a serious problem here! Steven kissed me, and I kissed him, and it was so amazing and then..."

"And then?" her friend checked cautiously, wondering if she really wanted to know what happened next. Okay, so she'd come over to Jackie's house purposefully to comfort her following her date that most likely would have ended in disaster, after all Hyde had been making it pretty clear he wasn't interested. Whether that were true or not, Donna couldn't say for sure, but she had a fair idea that the date would end badly and that Jackie would need her.

"And then, I did the most stupid thing ever!" he petite brunette exclaimed, "I looked at him and he looked at me, and it was just like in my head. I waited for him to say something magical but nothing happened. So I asked him if he felt anything"

"And he said no?" Donna sympathised, feeling bad for her friend, no matter how deluded she was.

"Actually, I said no first" Jackie admitted, "but only because I could tell he was going to say it too, and I couldn't take the pain! Argh!" she made a frustrated sound as she flung herself face down on her bed, throwing her pink fluffy unicorn aside, "I hate this!"

"Jackie, I know it's tough, but hey, maybe it's a good thing that you finally accept Hyde doesn't feel that way about you" Donna told her as she put a comforting hand on her back, "Now you can move on"

"But I don't wanna move on, Donna" Jackie said sadly as she looked up at her friend with tears in her eyes, "I wanted everything to be perfect, I so wanted him to feel like I do"

"I'm sorry that he doesn't, Jackie" she said, putting an arm around the girl and giving her a hug. It was weird but the poor girl seemed more pained over Hyde's rejection than when Kelso cheated on her. This was the second time she'd cried today, and all because Hyde had said he felt nothing for her. It seemed it'd finally sunk in, which was good, and yet seeing her friend in so much pain didn't thrill her.

Donna couldn't imagine how awful it must be to love someone who didn't feel the same. She was lucky to be with Eric, knowing that he loved her unconditionally, just like she loved him. He'd been so sweet today, despite the argument they'd had over their respective fathers barbecues. In the end all that mattered was that they cared a great deal about each other and always would.

"I still wish my Daddy could buy him for me" Donna heard Jackie mutter, and that made her smile.

"Yeah, well, right now my Dad can't afford to buy me anything" she sighed, and the brunette scrambled into an upright position.

"What?" she checked, "Donna, what happened?"

"My Dad's store is going out of business" the redhead admitted, "He's going bankrupt"

"Oh my God!" Jackie gasped, "Oh Donna, I'm sorry" she apologised, feeling bad, "I mean here I am all wrapped up in my problems, which are way smaller than yours! I can totally get Steven one day, I mean, come on, he can only hold out so long. Nobody can turn down someone as pretty as me forever" she said matter of factly, "But poor, poor Donna" she said, hugging her friend who smiled at her almost twisted kindness.

* * *

It was dark when Hyde slipped back into the Forman's basement and took one last look around. He had has stuff all packed into one bag on his back, and an envelope in his hand which he left on the table. It had no name on it, it wasn't for anyone specific after all, he just didn't want anybody to worry about him like Donna or Mrs Forman. He cared about them and didn't want to frighten them by just leaving without a word.

As for Jackie, he realised now what an idiot he had been, and how impossible it would be now to keep on being around her, knowing she felt nothing for him when he felt so much for her. He closed his eyes and sighed before stepping back out of the basement and hurrying up the steps. Out in the driveway he took a moment to glance back at the Forman's house where he had been so happy for a while, before turning and heading towards the nearest bus stop. He wasn't sure where he was going yet, but it was far away from Point Place, that was for sure.

_To Be Continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N : It's so great to have support for this fic. I was just so nervous about trying to write in a new genre and I really don't right a lot of comedy anyway, the Buffyverse lends itself much more to drama. Anywho, here's hoping this chapter will create a positive reaction too. Apologies that it's so short.  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc.- see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 2

"Oh, Lord, I did it again" Kitty exclaimed, her trademark high-pitched laugh following her declaration, "I'm so used to Steven being here, I'm still fixing too much food for breakfast"

"Oh actually, Mom, I think Hyde might've stayed in the basement last night" Eric said from his place at the table with his sister and father, "I'll go look" he smiled, taking a half piece of toast with him as he headed out of the room and down the stairs. He was only moderately surprised to find his friend was not in fact in his old room, after all it wasn't so shocking to think Hyde had gone home late. What caused Eric to frown was the sight of an envelope propped up on the table, as if it had been put there on purpose to be seen.

Holding his toast in his mouth, he picked up the envelope, opened it up and pulled out a short letter from inside, the scruffy hand-writing immediately recognisable as Hyde's own.

"Oh my God" he gasped, his breakfast falling from his mouth to the floor unnoticed.

"Eric! Steven!" Kitty called from the stop of the stairs, "Hurry up, boys, your eggs are getting cold"

"Mom, Hyde's not down here" her son called back as he hurried up the stairs once again, handing her the letter when he reached the top.

"Well, what is this...?" she asked absently as they went back into the kitchen, her eyes skimming the words as she went, "'To Forman, or whoever finds this first, I'm leaving Point Place...' Oh my goodness, Red!" Kitty suddenly yelled as she hurried to her husbands side, her hand over her mouth in shock as she handed the letter to him.

Red proceeded to read the contents of the letter aloud;

"'I'm leaving Point Place and I don't know when or even if I'll be back. I'm not proud of being like my Dad and running out on people, but this time I didn't have a choice. I'm sorry for anybody I hurt by leaving, I know you'll be disappointed in me, Mrs Forman, but you wouldn't understand what's going on with me right now, nobody would, hell, I don't even think I get it. To the guys, keep fighting the system any way you can, and make me proud. To the girls, I'll miss you, stay strong. To Mr and Mrs Forman, you guys are the best, maybe if I'd been a real member of your family I'd've turned out different, but I guess we'll never know. Goodbye Wisconsin. Steven Hyde'"

"Oh my God!" Laurie gasped, catching everyone's attention, "He didn't even mention me? Stupid orphan idiot"

"Can it, Laurie!" Kitty snapped, looking visibly upset, "Oh, Red, why would Steven just up and leave like that?"

"Why?" Red echoed, looking at his wife as if she were stupid, "Because he's a dumbass is why!" he said firmly, "If that boy's mother had kicked his ass into gear when he was younger, maybe he'd have turned out okay, but there was no way a kid of Edna and Bud was going to turn out as anything but a carbon copy of one or the other"

"Something wasn't right last night" Eric shook his head, "Hyde was acting weird. I called him on it but he didn't want to talk" he sighed as he sat back down at the table, "Man, this sucks. He's just gone"

"Well, he seemed perfectly fine when I talked to him yesterday" Kitty said thoughtfully, "We got talking about the little rich girl, Jackie. Y'know I was so sure they liked each other..."

"No way, Mom, Hyde hates Jackie" Eric told her, "It was so weird that he even agreed to go on a date with her"

"Well, this is thrilling, but I have better things to do than sit around worrying about the kid that's not even a real part of this family" Laurie smiled brightly as she got up from her seat.

"Yeah, well, I wish he was a real part of this family, instead of you!" Eric snapped, storming away from the table and down to the basement.

"Daddy!" Laurie squealed, "Eric's being mean again!"

Red barely seemed to hear her as he sat back down at the table re-reading the parting words from Hyde, until eventually Laurie just went off in a snit to her room.

"Son of a bitch!" her father suddenly exclaimed, slamming the letter in his hand down onto the table, "I tell you, Kitty, I am mad about this" he fumed, "We took that boy in, fed him, clothed him, understood when he wanted to go live with his father, and how does he repay us? He ups and leaves, and causes a whole family crisis, when he's not even a part of this damn family!"

"Now, Red, come on" Kitty calmed him down, "Steven is as much a part of this family as any of us, there's no way he'd have left like this without a really good reason" she explained, "You know how touchy he gets about being compared to his father"  
"If he doesn't want people to think he's a lazy ass that runs out when the going gets tough, then he shouldn't act like one" Red snapped, "Oh my God!" he gasped in sudden realisation, "I'll bet he's got some girl in trouble!"

"Oh no, no, no no" Kitty shook her head, "Not our Steven, no, he's not so irrisponsible"

"He's a seventeen year old boy, Kitty" her hand reminded her, "None of them have any control, they're all irresponsible dumbasses! "

"Hey, Mr and Mrs Forman" Donna smiled as she let herself into the kitchen from the driveway, Jackie right behind her, "Is Eric almost ready for school?" she checked.

"Oh, Donna" Kitty said sadly, "Eric is a little upset right now" she explained, looking a little teary herself, "Steven is..."

"Steven is...?" Jackie prompted, "Oh my God, what happened to Steven, is he okay?" she gasped.

"Read it and weep" Red offered the letter to her as he got up to leave the room, "Just, let me get out of the house first" he urged her as he hurried to pick up his jacket and leave for work, kissing Kitty on the cheek as he went.

"Oh my God!" Jackie gasped, sitting down fast as she read the note from Hyde, "Oh Donna, oh my God, Steven left town!"

"Hyde left town?" the red-head frowned, "Why would he do that?" she asked aiming her question more at Mrs Forman than anywhere else, after all she was the grown-up here and she must've heard this news before either Donna or Jackie.

"Well, honey, I don't know" she shook her head, "Eric said he wasn't really himself last night when he was talking to him in the basement, and then this morning he found this note down there" she sniffed, "Oh, I'm just so worried about that poor boy" she almost cried as her hand come up to cover her mouth.

Jackie sat at the table fighting with her own emotions and Donna felt very torn, wondering who was more worthy of comfort or a hug right now. She could hardly take the news in herself. After all, she'd known Hyde since they were little kids, they were great friends, she couldn't imagine what life would be like without him being around.

"Hey" Eric greeted his girlfriend as he came back into the kitchen, passing his mother who hurried through to the living room, muttering something about having things to do. She obviously didn't want everyone to know how upset she was.

"Hey, what's going on with Hyde?" Donna asked him and Eric shook his head.

"I don't know" he told her, "Although it could be that maybe the hysterical cheerleader constantly throwing herself at him might have drove him away" he shot a little nastily at Jackie who looked to be just a few seconds away from crying her eyes out.

"Oh no way are you going to blame me for this, Eric Forman!" the little brunette yelled, waving Hyde's letter around, "There is obviously something wrong with Steven, so wrong he's afraid to share it with any of us, so he's been forced to run away to protect our feelings! Oh my God, maybe he's dying!"

"Jackie, breathe" Donna told her sternly, "Hyde is not dying, he probably just, I dunno, went to go find his Mom or something"

"I don't know" Eric told her, "From his letter it's like something happened, something he can't deal with, and I guess hiding in the basement isn't going to cut it this time. He needed real time away"

"Well, right now we really have to get to school" Donna said as she checked the time on her boyfriends wrist-watch, "Maybe after we can get the gang back here, try to think where Hyde might've gone"

"Sounds like a plan" Eric nodded in agreement as he grabbed his books and jacket. Jackie was still sitting at the table staring at the piece of paper in her hand as if it held the answer to everything, even as Eric went outside to open up the garage and get out the car.

"You coming, Jackie?" Donna asked her, "Hey, Jackie!" she called, shaking her shoulder slightly and finally getting her attention, "Are you coming?" she asked again and the shorter girl nodded as she got to her feet.

"Donna" she said, looking so serious it was almost scary, "What if I'm the reason Steven ran away? What if I did push too hard and scare him?"  
"Jackie, Hyde doesn't get scared" Donna assured her, "I really don't think he'd run away just because of you"

Though the younger girl nodded her head, she didn't look entirely convinced.

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N : I really appreciate the reviews I'm getting on this fic, it means so much to me since I'm very new at this fandom and unsure as to whether the characters 'sound' right, etc.** **Hopefully this new chapter is up to the required standard!  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 3

"Man, it's just frickin' weird" Kelso exclaimed as the gang sat in the basement after school, still with one member of the group missing - Hyde.

"You are right, Kelso" Fez agreed, staring at the TV, "It is very weird. How do Scooby and the gang always manage to solve the mystery every time, when it seems so impossible?" he echoed what he believed to be his friends sentiments, completely oblivious to Kelso's real meaning.

"I think he was talking about Hyde, Fez!" Donna pointed out from her position on the couch, sandwiched between Eric and Kelso.

"It isn't weird, it's horrible!" Jackie complained, as she paced the room behind the couch, "Steven is gone, and something terrible might be happening to him, and it's all my fault!"

"Jackie, you can't blame yourself" Eric told her, looking back at her, "It's not... well, yeah actually it is your fault" he considered, changing his mind, "Yeah, okay, you go ahead and blame yourself"

"Well, I think maybe Hyde left because of me" Kelso said suddenly, making everybody turn and stare at him.

"Michael, what are you talking about?" Jackie asked, arms folded over her chest as she waited for a reply.

"Well, see, you guys went on a date, and now he's scared I'll beat on him or something for daring to touch my girl!" he explained, as if it were obvious.

"You're girl!" his ex exploded, "Michael, I am NOT your girl! I haven't been your girl since you started messing around with that whore Laurie! Sorry, Eric" she added as an after-thought.

"No, it's cool" he waved away her words, "My sister _is_ a whore"

"That is so not the point!" Kelso complained as he hopped off the couch and faced Jackie, "Hyde is supposed to be my friend and he dogged me, man! He knows he made me mad by taking you out on a date and now he's run away all scared"

"I am not convinced that Hyde is afraid of you, Kelso" Fez shook his head as he joined the others on their feet, leaving just Eric and Donna watching the display from their seated positions, "After all you are such a girly man compared to him"

"Uh!" Kelso made a high-pitched noise of indignation as their audience tried to stifle giggles.

"Y'know, you're pathetic, Michael!" Jackie told him crossly, looking almost as if she might cry, "You act like we should all feel bad for you just cos me and Steven went on a date. He could be lost, or hurt, or... anything could've happened to him" she said, a few nasty scenarios passing through her mind as her hand covered her mouth and tears filled her eyes.

"Oh Jackie" Fez sighed in sympathy as he went over to her, "Sweet, sweet Jackie" he said as he put his arms around her and hugged her close, "Fez is here to help you through your pain. You may use me any way you wish" he smiled over her head at the rest if the gang, none of which looked particularly amused by his attitude, least of all Donna who knew that despite her apparent love for Hyde, Jackie would likely accept the offer to use Fez somehow given half the chance.

"Jackie, y'know Hyde's probably fine" her red-head friend assured her, "It's not like he can't take care of himself"

"Donna's right" Eric agreed, "Although, I gotta admit, I kinda don't like him being out there all by himself" he sighed, "And it's really freaking out my Mom. She worries about Hyde even more than she worries about me sometimes"

"Mom worries about everybody more than she worries about you" Laurie laughed as she came down the steps top the basement, having caught the end of the conversation, "Hey, Kelso" she greeted her boyfriend, leaning in and kissing him with a passion, which Jackie was fairly certain was supposed to annoy her. It had little or no effect in reality.

"Laurie, why are you even down here?" Eric snapped at his sister, "Shouldn't you be, I dunno, down at the docks waiting for the fleet to come in" he snickered, and even Kelso had to hold in a laugh.

"I'm too tired to walk that far" Laurie said reasonably, "And Kelso is right here" she grinned as she took hold of the boy's hand and headed for the stairs, "See you _kids_ later" she said as they disappeared, with Kelso putting his thumbs up and whooping at the prospect of more sex with Eric's sister.

"Kelso is such a whore" Fez declared, "Jackie, you were so sensible to dump him"

"Yeah, I'm so sensible" she echoed, sarcasm evident, "If I was so sensible I never would have let Steven get away from me. God, I hate not knowing where he is!"

"Look, if we wanna find Hyde all we have to do is think like Hyde" Donna reasoned and Eric grinned. There was a simple way to do that.

* * *

"Now this is the stuff" Eric grinned widely as he looked around the Circle at his friend, "Now I feel totally attuned with my good buddy Hyde"

"Yeah" Donna agreed beside him, "I feel so... Hyde" she giggled, "And also, a little like I'm floating" she said more seriously, just for a few seconds before she collapsed back into a fit of giggles.

"I don't think we should worry too much about Hyde" Fez shook his head, "After all, he is stronger than us, smarter than us, and better with the ladies" he counted off on his fingers, before a look of realisation dawned over his face, "Oh, I think I hate him!" he declared, looking annoyed.

"I could never hate Steven" Jackie sighed, "You know why? Because I love him. I love Steven Hyde" she declared, "I love him so much, and I drove him away" she said, before bursting out laughing, despite the fact the words she was saying were sad, "Hang on a second, why am I laughing?" she checked a moment later, looking around as if she was lost.

"Man, I still can't believe Hyde left because of Jackie" Eric sighed as he looked at his girlfriend, "I mean, he's always been the tough guy out of all of us"  
"Definitely tougher than you, Eric" Donna agreed.

"Oh Donna" Fez smiled at the red-head beside him, "Everybody is tougher than Eric, even Kelso. Even me" he scoffed.

"Guys, you're all losing sight of the point here!" Jackie complained, "We need to find Steven, and fast!" she said firmly.

"Jackie's right, we should... oh my God!" Eric gasped suddenly, "Did I just say Jackie's right?" he checked, "Damn, maybe we shouldn't do this stuff anymore, I think it's affecting my brain"  
"What brain, idiot!" Jackie snapped, "You said this would help us find Steven, and so far all it's done is... is... ooh, I want that!" she yelled, suddenly diving at Fez and ripping the half eaten popsicle from his hand.

"Hey, do you think Hyde went to New York or something?" Donna asked suddenly, "I mean, he talked about it that one time, and if he can make it there, he could make it anywhere..." she began to sing the song that went with the words she was saying and the whole circle joined in for a moment til they got past the chorus and realised they didn't know anymore words.

"So anyway" Eric said soon after, "I don't think Hyde could get as far as New York, not without a lot of cash that he really doesn't have"

"So where do people go when they have no cash?" Fez said thoughtfully, "Oh, I know, perhaps they yell at the person who stole their popsicle!" he said, looking pointedly at Jackie who swallowed down the last of the strawberry ice and looked innocently at him.

"You talk funny" she said suddenly, bursting into giggles and leaning over til her forehead was leaning on Fez's arm, "I miss Steven" she said sadly, her laughter subsiding just as fast as it had begun.

"Come on guys, we've known Hyde forever, we should be able to figure out where he's gone" Eric urged them.

"Okay, I'm thinking like Hyde" Donna said, closing her eyes and putting her hands towards her head as if she were channelling a spirit or something, "The government's out to get me, man" she said in her best impression of her friend, "I like beer, and dirty magazines, and Jackie makes me mad, so I... I ran away to the circus!" she said suddenly with a snap of her fingers as her eyes shot open.

"Hyde in the circus?" Eric echoed, "Okay so Donna's gone crazy"

"I like the circus" said Fez as he patted Jackie's shoulder, her head still leant on his other arm, "They have animals, candied treats, and attractive ladies in brightly coloured underwear" he grinned, "If I was Hyde, I would run away to the circus"

"What do you think Steven is doing right now?" Jackie sighed, sitting herself up straight in her seat once again and staring at her popsicle stick like it held the answers to the universe and everything.

"I dunno" Donna shrugged, "Probably something way more exciting than what we're doing"

* * *

"This is the life" Hyde grinned, cough slightly as a little too much smoke got into his system, "There's no better way to kill some time, that with a bottle of beer and a friend"

"I hear you, man" Leo agreed, "'Cept for the beer part, cos y'know that stuff'll mess with your head, man"

Hyde stifled a laugh at that comment and just swallowed down some more alcohol.

"So anyway" he said, continuing the story he'd previously been relating to his friend and boss, "when I got to the bus station, I realised I'd missed the last bus out of town. The back door to the hut was unlocked so I figured I'd crash here til the morning and then head back to the station, but... I dunno why I didn't make it yet" he frowned slightly.

"Maybe you're moving, man, but like so slowly you can't even tell" Leo suggested.

"I mean, I wanna leave, I have to" Hyde continued, as if he hadn't really heard his friend, "I can't be around Jackie, man, she's making me lose my mind"

"Of all the things I lost, I miss my mind the most" the older man nodded, before laughing, "Hey, man, that's cool. I should get that put on a T-shirt"

"Yeah, that's cool" Hyde said absently, swigging his beer, "See, what I can't figure is how she changed her mind so fast" he shook his head, thinking once again of Jackie, "I keep going over it, man, and it doesn't make sense. One second she's talking about love and happy ever afters, the next we kiss and she says she doesn't feel anything. That's impossible, man, no girl ever said that to me before!"

"I can relate, man" Leo nodded, "Women are complicated. One minute they want you, the next they don't"

"But it never bothered me before" Hyde considered, "I could deal, I could be Zen about everything, but when it comes to Jackie, man, it's like crazy poetic justice or something. Like I taught her to be Zen and I totally lost it"

"Did you look behind the refrigerator?" Leo asked as he flipped through a pile of photographs on the counter, "Cos when I lose stuff it's almost always there, or under the sofa cushions"

Hyde frowned a little as he considered what Leo was saying and then bust up laughing at how stupid it was. Between the beer, his friend's ridiculous and random thoughts, and the smoky haze that filled the Fotohut, he was feeling a little better about the whole Jackie situation. Unfortunately, even in this state, he knew the peace and tranquillity would not last, and then he'd have to deal with his little, annoying, abrasive, rich girl of a problem, one way or another.

_To Be Continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N : So appreciating the support I'm getting for this fic, it means a lot to me. I was worried about 'the circle' in the previous chapter, glad I pulled it off okay in the end.  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 4

"You feeling better now?" Donna asked Jackie as they sat on the Forman's front step. Both of them should be heading home, but the younger girl didn't seem particularly eager to leave, and her friend wouldn't leave her when she was upset, no matter how more annoying she became when she was sad.

"I guess" Jackie shrugged, coming down off her previous high, "I just worry so much about Steven"

"Honestly Jackie, he'll be fine" Donna assured her, "Hyde knows how to take care of himself, ever since we were little kids"

"Donna, it's not just that" she shook her head, "If I don't know where Steven is, how can I have any control over him?"

"Jackie, you didn't have control over him when he was here" Donna smiled and shook her head, "And besides, I thought you liked Hyde better than Kelso because he was a man who could think for himself"

"Well, sure" Jackie agreed, "but I only want him thinking for himself when I tell him to!" she complained, and Donna tried not to laugh as she put an arm around her friends shoulders and gave her a reassuring hug.

"Y'know, maybe Hyde's just not the guy for you after all" she said carefully, "Maybe you just don't need a guy at all right now. It is the seventies, Jackie, women can stand alone"

"No, no, no, no, no" Jackie said rapidly, shaking her head, "_You_ can stand alone" she said pointing a finger at her friend, "Me, I need a man in my life. I need Steven Hyde, and he needs me. Why is nobody getting the picture!" she asked frustratedly as Donna suddenly had a thought.

"Picture!" she echoed, excitedly, "Jackie, why don't we head over to the Fotohut and ask Leo if he's seen Hyde?" she suggested, "There's a chance he could've gone there to get some cash or to tell Leo he wouldn't be going to work or something before he left"

"Oh my God, Donna, that's a great idea!" Jackie grinned as she hopped to her feet, "Let's go!"

* * *

"Hey Leo" Donna smiled as she and Jackie came into the Fotohut, "We were just wondering, have you seen Hyde?" she checked, as her friend bounced madly at her side, anticipating a positive response from Hyde's boss.

"Sure, man, I've seen Hyde" Leo nodded, "I see him every time he shows up for work" he smiled.

"Listen to me, you old hippy!" Jackie said in a shrill voice, getting up in Leo's face, "We need to know if you've seen Steven today, and we need to know now"

"Jackie, if your voice gets any higher, only dogs will hear you, man" the very young man she'd been looking for said as he appeared with his bag slung over his shoulder, his tinted glasses firmly on his face, despite the fact it was starting to get dark out.

"Hyde!" Donna looked surprised to see him, after all the whole gang had assumed he'd left town, it is what his note had said, "You're back"

"No" Hyde corrected her, "I didn't go anywhere yet, but now I am" he said, turning towards the door. He half-expected resistance from Donna, and hoped rather than anticipated the same from Jackie. A part of him so wished things had gone differently on their so-called date, and yet for the most part he told himself this was better, him getting out of Point Place and away from the annoying and abrasive little girl that would worm her way into his head and heart and confuse him like this.

As he glanced back behind himself at the Fotohut he found nobody was following him. They were all just letting him walk away, maybe to leave forever, even he wasn't sure how long he'd stay away. Jackie was letting him go, despite the fact it seemed she and Donna had come to find him. It seemed strange she'd be yelling at Leo, asking where he was, and yet now she was holding back and not coming after him, begging him to stay as he might've expected, after all she'd spent enough time these past weeks, following him around, determined to convince him they were in love.

Now she'd finally let him be, Hyde knew he ought to be glad and yet it hurt to think she'd let him go this easily, when he'd been within grasping distance. To Steven Hyde it only confirmed either Jackie's lack of genuine feeling for him, or her inconsistency of same. Determined now to press on to the bus station and get out of Point Place once and for all, Hyde kept walking, and didn't look back.

* * *

"Jackie, what the hell!" Donna raved as her friend stood rooted to the spot, arms folded over her chest as she stared at the door through which Hyde had just passed.

"He wants to leave, Donna" she shrugged, "That's cool"

"That's cool!" the re-head echoed, sounding almost apoplectic, "How can you stand there and say that, you were going crazy not knowing where Hyde was!" she reminded her.

"And now I know where he is" she said, almost as if it were obvious why she was no longer upset, "He's fine, and that's cool"

"Will you stop saying that everything is cool!" Donna protested.

"Whatever" Jackie sighed checking her nails as Leo watched the two of them bicker, unable to keep up. A look passed over Donna's face as she relayed what was going on.

"Jackie, this is not the right time for your Zen lessons to come back to you" she told her friend, grabbing her by the shoulders, "If you love Hyde like you say you do, don't let him just leave"

"I'm not his keeper, Donna" the brunette said, shrugging her hands away, "If Steven wants to go, he can. That's..."  
"Cool?" Donna guessed, looking unimpressed, "Yeah, I heard" she shook her head as she let herself out of the door and hurried down the street towards the bus station, after all it seemed likely that was where Hyde was headed.

* * *

"Thanks, Mom, that was great" Eric grinned as he wiped his mouth with a paper napkin, having just finished off a large meal.

"Yes, thank you, Mrs Forman" Fez smiled similarly from across the table, "I was very, very hungry" he said with a look that Eric didn't appreciate. If his parents ever found out why they were so hungry they'd go crazy. It'd been bad enough before when Hyde had got busted for possession. Thankfully he and Eric had managed to talk their way out of that one but there was no way that'd work twice.

"Well, you're welcome, Fez" Kitty smiled at him as she took the dishes over to the sink, "It's nice to have Eric's friends around the table, it makes us feel like much more of a family" she said, her smile wavering, "That's why it was so nice when Steven was... it was so nice, and..." her words disappeared as she came emotional and Eric quickly got up from his seat, coming over to comfort his mother.

"It's okay, Mom" he told her, "Y'know Hyde's pretty tough. He'll be fine, wherever he is"

"I know, honey" Kitty sighed, "I just, I worry about all you kids. The world isn't as friendly as it used to be and when I think about what could happen to that boy. He's already been through so much"

"Mrs Forman" Fez said as he came over to her, "We have a saying in my country, it goes 'sometimes boy's do stupid things'" he recited, causing both Eric and Kitty to look at him strangely, "What? It is true!" the boy complained, "And in my country it rhymes" he said smartly.

Kitty let out her trademark laugh at that ridiculous sentence. Eric didn't know what to say, but he was glad to see his Mom smiling again for a little while at least. In all honesty, he could hit Hyde for upsetting his mother like this, though he doubted he'd ever do it, for fear of being flattened by his friend for daring to take a swing at him.

* * *

"You're an idiot!" were the words with which Donna greeted Hyde when she caught up with him at the bus station.

"Haven't been called that before" he said sarcastically, looking up from his seat and peering over his tinted glasses as her.

"Actually, you're worse than an idiot" the redhead corrected herself, "You're being an ass, Hyde!"

"Whatever you say, doll" he said, glancing away as he waited for the next bus out to arrive.

"No, I am not going to take this stupid Zen crap from you too" Donna told him as she sat down beside him, "If I hear one more 'That's cool' or 'Whatever'" she said mimiking the dumb tone she'd heard too much today already, "I swear to God I'm going to take you and Jackie, lock you in a room together and make you stay there til you figure this out!"

"Look, Donna" Hyde sighed as he turned to look at her once again, "I don't know what Jackie told you but me and her have nothing left to figure out, man" he told her.

"Are you kidding!" she scoffed, "One minute you're so cool and calm about Jackie, telling her she makes you want to vomit whilst she jumps up and down like a hyper-active bug trying to get your attention" she recapped, "Next thing you're on a date together, and I think maybe, finally, you two will figure things out, but no" she said, waving her arms emphatically, "Instead of being grown ups and being honest with each other, you both lie about your feelings. You run away, she goes crazy and then when she actually finds you she pretends she doesn't care you were ever gone! God, you're worse than little kids!"

"Yeah, well, she started it" was Hyde's decidedly immature argument, that only added fuel to Donna's fire, "I never asked her to start hanging around me the way she did, man, I wanted an easy life"

"Newsflash, Hyde" Donna sighed, "Nobody's life is easy, and you're not making anybody's life easier by running away"

"Yeah, Donna, I am" he argued, "That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm simpling things up real nice for myself, for Jackie, for everybody"

"Explain to me how" his friend asked, quite intrigued. She never understood how people running away from problems helped to solve them, it seemed stupid to her.

"Okay, here's how" Hyde said, preparing his words carefully, "One minute, Jackie thinks she loves me, next minute she's telling me the kiss we shared meant nothing. She's obviously totally confused, man, and it's not helping having her confusing me too. That's going to lead to no good for anybody"

"Okay" Donna stretched out the word, "So, now we're back to the you being an idiot part" she told him, "Seriously, Hyde, are you so naive you don't get it?" she asked him.

"Naive? Me?" he checked, giving her a look, "Donna, you're dating Eric, you're friends with Kelso, Jackie, and Fez, and you think I'm the most naive person you know?" he smirked.

"You're more stupid than Kelso if you don't see that your leaving is not going to fix this" she said seriously, "I mean it, Hyde, you're just going to end up hurting yourself and Jackie, plus Mrs Forman who is going nuts over you leaving, as well as the gang"

"I didn't want to upset Mrs Forman" he said, looking almost guilty, "But man, how can this ever work out?"

"It could, if you were just serious and honest about how you feel about Jackie" she said simply, as he looked away.

"I don't like her, I tried to tell her, she wouldn't believe me, so we had our little date, but now it's over" he said firmly, getting up from his seat and moving to get a better view down the street, hoping the bus would hurry up and arrive so he could get out of here. Donna was getting too close to making him admit things he'd rather not, and she was just about the only person who could make him do it too.

"It's not over" she said following him, and putting her hand on his shoulder, "Hyde, I know you, better than pretty much anybody" she reminded him, "I know when you're trying to cover up your feelings, no matter how good you think you are at doing it"

"Whatever, man" he shrugged her off, but she as determined to make him listen.

"Like when your Mom left and you pretended not to care? And your Dad before that?" she recalled, "All those times when I knew you'd been crying, even though you came off all tough and 'Zen' about it all" she said, as he looked at her with a shocked expression, confirming every word she said was true, "I know you feel something more for Jackie than you're telling her" she said simply.

"So?" Hyde asked her, "What does it matter? It's all going to end in tears, Donna, it always does with me" he said bitterly as the bus appeared at last. The red-head thought frantically for something she could say to make her friend stay and not board the bus that was now parked right beside them.

"What? No last ditch attempt at making me stay?" Hyde asked her with a look, putting one foot on the vehicle and looking back at his friend.

"What can I say?" she shrugged, hugging herself and shaking her head, "You made your decision" she said as she turned and walked away, "I guess I just never believed all those people who thought you'd turn out like your Dad"

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N : I'm going to wrap this story up with one more chapter after this one, and of course the ending will be happy and of the J/H persuasion :-)  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 5

"So, Donna" Eric said giving his girlfriend a look from his position sitting on the back of the couch with his feet on the cushions, "What you're saying is, you tracked down Hyde, you followed him to the bus station, you talked to him, and then you, er, let him go?" he checked he'd understood her story correctly, "Cos if that's how it happened I only have one thing to say... Are you insane!" he suddenly exploded.

Donna did not looked amused by his outburst.

"What did you want me to do, Eric?" his girlfriend asked frustartedly, "Get him in a headlock and drag him back to the basement?"

"That would've been cool" Kelso laughed at that particular mental image, before turning his attention back to the TV. Laurie had long since grown bored of him and sent him back down to the basement to find his own entertainment. Right now it was cartoons which he was watching with Fez. The foreign kid was still hungry and was happily stuffing his mouth full of cheese puffs, as Donna and Eric continued to argue over his head.

"You said it yourself, Eric" the red-head continued, "Hyde's a big boy now, he can look after himself, and not that I have to defend myself to you but I did try to convince him to come home" she sighed, "I was so sure that parting shot would do it. You know how weird he is about being like his Dad"

"Yeah, Bud's great from a beer-swilling, party guy point of view, but the running out thing?" Eric shook his head, "It's just not cool, man"

"God, are we still talking about this" Jackie rolled her eyes as she returned to the basement from upstairs where she'd gone to use the bathroom, or so she'd said. Donna had been surprised to find the other girl was here when she returned, she'd expected her to go straight home, unless of course Jackie had faith in Donna to bring Hyde home. Despite hiding behind her newly learnt Zen, it was obvious she still liked and wanted Hyde as much as she ever did, least it was obvious to Donna. She doubted the boneheads that surrounded her had paid any attention to the tell-tale signs, much like Hyde himself had not.

"Could you guys keep it down, we're tryin' to watch the show!" Kelso complained, moving to turn up the volume on the TV.

Obviously annoyed, Donna stalked over and turned the television off completely.

"Son of a bitch!" Fez complained, spitting cheese puff crumbs in four directions by default, "Bring back the cartoons, whore!" he complained, until Donna gave him a warning look. All the guys knew she could kick ass like no other girl they knew, it just wasn't worth messing with her.

"Hey, c'mon, Fez" Kelso urged his friend as they got up from their seats and edged towards the back door, "We'll go watch TV at my house where it's safer... I mean, quieter, I mean..." he amended with a nervous laugh, deciding his best option was just to run right now which he did with his foreign friend hot on his heels.

"Michael can be such an idiot" Jackie huffed as she took his vacated seat on the couch and picked up a magazine from the table.

"Yeah, well, he's not the only one" Donna told her, looking her in the eye as the smaller girl glanced up, "Jackie, you've been crying" she said, as if the girl herself wasn't aware.

"No way, Donna" Jackie shook her head, "I'm just a little tired is all, it's been a long day" she shrugged, not liking the looks of disbelief she got from both the red-head and Eric when she glanced over at him, "In fact, I should be getting home" she said, suddenly scrambling to her feet and hurrying out of the door.

On the other side she stopped and let out an unsteady breathe. Donna was right, she had been crying, so many tears over another love lost. Steven Hyde had stolen her heart, she wasn't sure exactly when or how it had started, but when she'd said before that she loved him it was no lie. She still felt the same now, but her stupid pride stopped her from admitting it to anyone but herself. When she'd seen him again at the Fotohut, he'd treated her with the same indifference that he always did. It hurt to realise that it must be real, that neither their date, the kiss they'd shared, nor his short absence from her had made him want her any more than he had a few days ago when he'd told her she meant less than nothing to him.

Sniffing hard and tilting her chin, Jackie headed home, determined not to cry anymore until she reached the sanctuary of her own bedroom. She would get over Steven Hyde, she didn't need him or any other man to exist. She was Jackie Burkhart, and she would survive just as well on her own.

* * *

Hyde cursed himself as he hopped off the bus and looked around at his surroundings. Yeah, he knew where he was, and though the journey was a couple of miles he could find his way home pretty easily. He was still in Point Place, something he wasn't happy about in one respect and yet very relieved about in another. Hyde wanted out of this town where Jackie Burkhart lived. He wanted to be free from the spell she had over him, and away from the friends who would judge him if he was with this woman he was falling head-over-heels in love with. He also wanted to prove to Donna that no amount of niggling, not even comments about him being like his father, would induce him to stay in Point Place after the events if the past few days. The problem was, her words had stung, and the thought of leaving Jackie behind hurt more than he'd like to admit.

It didn't sit well with Hyde that he'd upset the Formans either. Though Red came off kind of hard-assed and mean, underneath it all the gang knew he meant well, and was mostly just looking out for them, and Mrs Foreman, well, she was the Mom Hyde wished he'd have been born to. His own mother had never really wanted him around, never had much time for taking care of him, yet Eric's Mom couldn't do enough to help Steven out. Knowing he might have upset her, might've made her cry for him or worry about him... Hyde did not want a reputation for being a Mama's boy, particularly when the woman in question wasn't even his real mother, but he was sorry to know he might've hurt her, might even still be letting her worry unduly about him.

Pushing his hand into his pocket he pulled out some change and walked until he found a phone booth. There was one not far away and he soon found himself dialling the Formans number and praying, despite his lack of particular faith, that Kitty would pick up the phone, not Red or Laurie.

"Hello, Forman residence" said her cheery voice and Hyde smiled to himself.

"Hey, Mrs F, it's me" he told her, and heard her gasp with delighted surprise.

"Oh, Steven, honey, where are you? Are you alright?" she checked, speaking almost too quickly.

"I'm fine, Mrs Forman, I swear" he told her, "In fact, I'm headed home"

"Steven, that's wonderful!" Kitty enthused, "We were just so worried about you. Y'know if you're having a problem and you need to talk we're always here" she reminded him, "We love you"

"I know" was his simple response as he came over all strangely emotional.

Love wasn't a word he heard much, not in any real sense, but he didn't mind hearing it from her, the replacement mother he was so grateful for, "I'm... I'm sorry I made you worry" he said sincerely, wondering at the fact she was one of the few people who could also get a decent apology out of him too. There was one other he might have to say sorry too, of course, but that was dependant on the conversation they had when he got home.

"Oh sweetie, I'm fine" Kitty laughed her trademark high-pitched laugh, "Everything will be fine just as soon as you get yourself home, and if you're hungry you just tell me I can cook anything you want"

"Honestly, Mrs F, it's cool" Hyde smiled, "But I really gotta go, I'm don't have any more quarters" he told her, "I'll see you soon"

"Well, okay, Steven" she replied, "We'll see you just as soon as you can get yourself back here" she said, before they ended the call and Hyde continued his long walk back to the house. He could use the time to think about what he was going to say to everybody.

Red would want an explanation amongst the yelling that was inevitable, and then there was Jackie. Donna seemed to think there was a lot of stuff to figure out, maybe there was, but Hyde was dreading the conversation. Talking about his feelings wasn't really his style, but it was better than being branded a carbon copy of his father, and breaking hearts, including his own.

* * *

"Well, okay, Steven, we'll see you just as soon as you can get yourself back here" Kitty was saying into the phone as Eric came up from the basement and found his mother hanging up the phone, and his father peering over the top of his newspaper.

"So, the dumbass is coming home?" Red checked and all Kitty could do was nod and bounce up and down like a kangaroo on hot coals, "And I suppose he's going to start calling this house home again, since I couldn't get hold of Bud today. Damn idiot's skipped town again, went last week so his landlord said"

"Oh do you think that's why Steven left too, to find his father?" Kitty asked. Eric knew better but didn't stop to answer, just hurried back down to the basement where Donna was waiting for the soda he was supposed to be fetching.

"Okay, you're soda-less" she observed as he returned to her, "What happened?" she asked as he walked past her where she sat on the couch turned off the TV and came back, sitting himself next to her.

"Hyde's coming back" he announced, over-dramatically, "He just called my Mom and he's coming back here right now"

"Yes!" Donna said with enthusiasm, punching the air, "I knew I got him with that parting shot about his Dad"

"Maybe more than you think" Eric nodded, "My Dad says Bud skipped town again last week, clearly the parenting gig wasn't working for him"

"Poor Hyde" the red-head sympathised, "But hey, at least if he's coming home he and Jackie can figure out whatever the hell it is that's between them"

"I guess so" Eric agreed without enthusiasm, "But honestly, Donna, you think they will? I mean, Hyde's not really the commitment type, and Jackie, she's a little..."

"Difficult?" Donna suggested.

"Well, I was going with controlling and bitchy, but potato, pot_a_to" he shrugged, as his girlfriend rolled her eyes.

"We should just lock them in a room together and make them talk things through" she suggested.

It was supposed to be a joke but Eric's eyes lit up at her idea, and when she realised it Donna re-considered just how much humour was really in what she said. It wasn't so crazy, putting two people together and making them face up to what they feel. In minutes a concrete plan was formed. By the end of the night, this problem would be resolved.

_To Be Continued..._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N : So here ends my first attempt at 'That 70s Show' fic. I hope I did the show justice, you reviewer-types seem to think so, which makes me very happy! Maybe I'll try another story in this fandom soon.  
**_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 6

Steven Hyde let himself into the basement of the Forman house via the back door, swung his bag off his shoulder onto the couch and sighed. Here he was again, despite deciding less than twenty four hours ago that he was going to leave this place indefinitely. Still, he had to admit, it was kind of nice to know he was missed and that at least a couple of people wanted him back here. With a slight smile he went towards the staircase and bounded up the steps to the door that led to the kitchen. He turned the knob and his smile turned to a frown. No amount of wiggling, pushing, or pulling would make the door open, it'd been locked from the other side.

"Weird" Hyde said to himself as he moved back down the staircase, just as the other door from outside opened.

"Donna, what is the emergency, I was just..." Jackie stopped short of completing her sentence when she realised her red-headed friend wasn't in the basement, but Steven was.

"Jackie" he greeted her awkwardly.

"Hey, Steven" she replied, looking just as uncomfortable as she hugged herself and looked around, "Um, Donna called, she said there was some kind of emergency and she needed me to be here"

"Nobody here but me" he shrugged, "And I only just got back so..."

"Uh-huh" Jackie nodded, "Well, that's cool"

An aggravated sound emanated from by the back door and both Jackie and Hyde turned to see a flash of red-hair and a male hand throwing a paper dart at them before the door was firmly shut and locked from the other side.

"What the..." Hyde began as he reached for the paper at his feet, opened it up and read it aloud, with Jackie peering over his shoulder so she could see too, "'You guys need to figure this out once and for all. For God sakes talk damnit, or never leave this basement! Eric & Donna'"

"They think they can just lock us in here like animals!" Jackie exploded, not exactly relishing the prospect of spending time alone with Hyde right now, after all the last time was on their date when they'd kissed and she'd lied about how she really felt to save face. If something happened between them again, she wasn't sure she could keep up the pretence a second time. She was so in love with this man, it was taking all the Zen strength she could find to pretend otherwise.

"Well, since they locked both the exits, I guess we're not going anywhere for awhile, grasshopper" he smiled, sitting down on the couch, "So, I guess we may as well talk"

"I don't really see what we have to talk about" Jackie huffed, knowing she was lying but determined not to be the one to break first. A part of her thought maybe she'd been right all along, that maybe Steven did like her and was hiding it just like she was trying to do. If that was true, there was a chance she could make him confess first, after all he had nowhere to run with the doors locked and nobody else to hide behind since they were alone for the foreseeable.

"Doesn't have to be about anything, man" Hyde shrugged, "Just talk, about whatever"

"Okay..." she stretched out the word as she turned and looked at him, "Why'd you leave?"

That seemed to give him something to think about it and it was several minutes before he began a verbal answer.

"Lots of reasons, man" he told her, "I guess mostly I felt like I had nothin' left to stay for, y'know?"

"No" Jackie shook her head, "No, I really don't know" she said as she sat herself down beside him, "Explain it to me"

Steven sighed and took off the glasses he usually hid behind, tossing them onto the table and running a hand over his face.

"Jackie, you and me, we're different, right?" he tried to explain as he looked across at her, "You have this perfect family and your perfect big house and all your money and friends and stuff" he told her, as if she didn't know, "Me, I have no parents, maybe a half dozen real friends, and I'm living in somebody else's family home"

"And your point is?" she checked, not understanding what his had to do with anything.

"My point is, you're so used to getting everything you want and then throwing it out with the trash when you get bored" he told her, "I've been thrown out with the garbage enough times now, I know that doesn't feel good, man"

"You do know I'm totally lost now, right?" she asked, looking totally confused, and Hyde was frustrated by both her lack of comprehension and his own inability to say just exactly what he meant, as he got up from the couch and walked away towards the freezer. He turned back a moment later and stared a little too intensely at Jackie.

"Let me put this a way you'll understand" he said, "How long have you had those shoes?" he asked gesturing towards her feet. Jackie frowned slightly as she looked down and studied her footwear, trying to remember.

"I don't know, maybe a couple of weeks" she shrugged.

"And how long before Daddy buys you a new pair you'll like better?" he checked, "How long before you'll get bored and just throw them out because they're not as pretty or as interesting as the next pair that comes along?" he asked, sounding kind of worked up since he was only talking about shoes.

"Steven, I don't..." Jackie began, before suddenly realising something. Sometimes she could be a little slow, maybe not as slow as Michael, but still, she didn't always catch on as fast as others. Right now she was proving that it seemed, as the cogs turned in her head and finally everything clicked into place.

"You don't what?" he prompted, "What, you still don't get it?"

"Steven" Jackie sighed, shaking her head as she got up from the couch and walked over to where he was, back to the freezer and staring at her, "Are you afraid of me?" she asked and he laughed out loud at that idiotic suggestion.

"Afraid? Of you?" he chuckled, "You're way off, doll" he told her, putting his hands on her shoulders to move her out of his way. Jackie refused to be pushed aside, and put her own hands to his chest pushing him back. He could've moved of course but he didn't, things were just now getting interesting.

"Steven Hyde you are afraid" Jackie told him, "Maybe not of me exactly, but what you think might happen between us" she said, knowing now she was right, "What I said last night on our date, about you feeling like you don't deserve to be loved, maybe I wasn't right about that, but I am right about this" she said determinedly, frustrated by the fact he wouldn't look her in the eye, "Steven, you're afraid that if we get close that I'm going to leave you, but I won't" she swore to him, but he shook his head and pushed his way past her.

"You think you're the first person to say that?" he said frustratedly, "You think my Mom didn't tell me she loved me? That my Dad didn't promise to stick around this time?" he said, looking back at her, his frustration and anger evident, "Newflash, Jackie, people lie, and things change, man, look at you and Kelso!"

"Michael cheated on me" she countered, "So I dumped him, but I would never cheat on you, and so long as you didn't cheat on me why would I ever have a reason to leave you?"

"I don't know, why don't you go ask everybody else that already did?" he suggested, sarcasm evident as he sat back down on the couch and ran his hand back through his hair, "This is the conversation I was trying to avoid" he muttered, "At least it's one of them"

"Steven Hyde, you are not going to punish me for what your parents and other people did" Jackie told him firmly, waving her arm in emphatic gestures, "Do you really think you're the only one who's afraid of getting their heart broken?" she asked incredulously, "Cos you might just be crazy"

"Whatever" Hyde muttered, trying to turn his back on her, but he should've known by now that the young Miss Burkhart was not one to be so easily ignored.

"After what Michael did to me, I could so easily say to hell with men!" Jackie exclaimed, "But you made me see that not all guys are the same. Michael was a cheater, but you're not. You're so much smarter, and sweeter, and better than him... it's why I love you" she said, the anger falling out of her voice as she spoke those final few words so honestly. When Hyde turned around he found she was no longer standing over him, yelling like a crazy person, but that she was sat right beside him, looking beautiful as ever and so incredibly sincere.

It was like a slow motion flashback to the night before, sitting on the hood of the car in the moonlight, looking into each others eyes and anticipating a perfect moment. As they both leaned in closer, neither was sure whether this was going to end with happily ever after or absolute disaster. Either way, they had to take the risk and find out for sure. Their lips met then in a tender kiss that deepened as it went on a few seconds more. Neither wanted to be the first to speak when they parted, but as usual Jackie found her voice first.

"So, did you feel anything that time?" she checked, with a nervous smile, "Cos I sure did" she admitted, praying she wasn't about to be shot down after all this.

"Did I feel anything?" Hyde echoed, looking at her too seriously until suddenly a smile broke through, "Man, I felt everything" he told her, pulling her close and kissing her again.

"Thank God!" Eric cheered in a whisper beyond the back door where he and Donna sat spying on their friends.

"Took them long enough to get there" his girlfriend agreed, "but I'm glad they figured it out. Look how cute they are together"

"Yeah, I guess" Eric nodded, though honestly he wasn't so sure he would ever say this particular pair were cute. After all, Hyde would probably kill him for thinking such a thing, and Jackie was just way too annoying to have compliments thrown her way on a regular basis.

"Hey, you think they'll be mad at us for locking them in like that?" Donna checked with her boyfriend, "I mean it was kind of sneaky"

"We'll worry about that later" Eric waved away her concern, "Right now, can we please just stop watching because I do not need to see... that" he said, making a grossed-out face as he gestured vaguely through the glass where Hyde and Jackie were moving into serious make-out mode on the couch.

"Yeah" Donna agreed as they scrambled to their feet and moved on up the stairs, "Making out, so not a spectator sport"

"You're so right" Eric agreed as he got a hold of her and kissed her lips, "What do you say to a moonlight stroll, Ms Pinciotti" he smiled when they parted.

"Sure, let's go" she agreed as they set off with their arms around each other, "So, you're never going to run away from me, are you?" Donna checked as they walked of into the distance.

"No way" Eric assured her, "We'll leave the complicated issues to the kids downstairs" he smiled, not realising just how simple things had just gotten for the pair he and Donna had helped get together.

Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde, perhaps an unlikely couple, but a couple none-the-less, with no intentions of letting each other go for a long time yet.

The End


End file.
